Staph reported at LaSalle-Peru High School

Tuesday

Oct 30, 2007 at 12:01 AMOct 30, 2007 at 5:42 AM

LaSalle-Peru High School said two students received treatment for confirmed cases of MRSA, a contagious staph infection that resists mainstream antibotics but is treatable with early detection and good medical care.

Two cases of staph infection have been confirmed at LaSalle-Peru High School.

In a statement Friday, School Superintendent Craig Carter said two students had contracted methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, commonly known as MRSA.

MRSA, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health, is resistant to mainstream antibiotics and at times can be deadly. It is treatable with early detection and good medical care.

The department recently received increasing reports of outbreaks. Such outbreaks have occurred among athletes, especially in sports such as football and wrestling, whose participants are prone to skin abrasions.

"To prevent the spread at school, we have begun to ‘superclean’ locker/athletic rooms and equipment that might be shared," Carter said.

School officials would not disclose the ages or sex of the two students but said they have received treatment.

MRSA can be transmitted through close contact. Risk factors include skin-to-skin contact with infected persons, sharing contaminated personal items such as towels, soap and clothing, inadequate personal hygiene, direct contact with contaminated surfaces and crowded settings.